Turkey and France jostle for Central Asia influence as Russia declines

Ankara leads Turkic state summit while Macron visits Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, left, on the sidelines of the Nov. 3 summit of the Organization of Turkic States. © Reuters

Nikkei staff writers

November 4, 2023 02:54 JST

TOKYO -- Turkey and France are ramping up their charm offensives in Central Asia, traditionally under Russian influence, as Moscow's declining presence opens the door to a diplomatic tug of war.

The Turkey-led Organization of Turkic States held its 10th summit Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The group of Turkic-language-speaking countries, which was renamed and strengthened in 2021, also includes Azerbaijan and former Soviet states Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.